Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Newbuild LPG Carriers Benefit from Sulphur Scrubber Technology

Latest Emission Regulations Require Stringent Compliance
Shipping News Feature

SOUTH KOREA – Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction, Korea’s oldest shipbuilder and now one of the world’s leading shipyards, has been contracted to build two LPG carriers, each with a capacity of 38,000 m3, for Belgian owner/operator Exmar. The new vessels will be built at Hanjin’s Subic Shipyard in the Philippines and delivered to Exmar in Q1 and Q2 of 2016 and will be equipped with Alfa Laval PureSOx scrubber systems for exhaust gas cleaning to comply with all new regulations concerning emission quality due to be in place next year.

With 2015 rapidly approaching, much focus has been placed on the retrofit of existing vessels to comply with SOx limits in Emission Control Areas (ECAs). Yet the task of incorporating a scrubber into a newbuild can be an even more demanding procedure for both customer and supplier. Substantial differences exist in the process, beginning with the quotation stage, René Diks, Manager Marketing & Sales, Exhaust Gas Cleaning at Alfa Laval, explains:

“The purchase order for a newbuild, unlike that of a retrofit, includes yard-specific demands that must be taken into account. As the scrubber supplier, we must be well prepared to clarify any technical deviations between our system and the shipyard’s own thinking. This is the basis on which the shipyard makes an informed choice, before the terms and conditions of the contract are even handled.

“Once the scrubber is chosen, a newbuild also places greater emphasis on the speed and accuracy of the supplier’s internal processes. The time constraints are tougher, because the customer and the yard must approve the whole vessel design and not just that of the scrubber. Both parties must accept the technical documents before the project can move forward, and this means we must deliver high-quality documentation within a very short timeframe.”

Retrofit documentation, by contrast, can be prepared during a longer period after contract signing and is seldom subject to the same formal approval process. What newbuilds and retrofits share when it comes to time is the need for scrubber delivery in exactly the timeslot decided. Lee Dong-hoon from Hanjin’s senior management team commented:

“The choice of exhaust gas cleaning from Alfa Laval is based not only on the merits of the PureSOx system itself, but also on Alfa Laval’s merits as a scrubber supplier. If the scrubber is not on site at our shipyard as agreed, the delay means complications for us and a lot of additional expense for our end customer. The yard has a tight schedule, and seeing that it’s kept is in everyone’s interest.

“Alfa Laval has made things easier in our work with Exmar so far, and we anticipate that will continue as the Exmar projects progress. We expect a lot from Alfa Laval as an experienced marine supplier, and when it comes to the professional level of support regarding PureSOx and exhaust gas cleaning, the company delivers. We are very satisfied at present.”

The Exmar vessels’ Alfa Laval PureSOx scrubber systems will be delivered to the Subic Shipyard in December 2014 and March 2015. The systems will be configured as hybrids, able to operate in an open loop with seawater or in a closed loop with circulation water. Each multiple-inlet system will serve a two-stroke Doosan MDT 6S59ME-B 9.3 main engine and three Doosan MAN 8L23/30H Mk2 auxiliary engines.